"Golf is a profoundly simple game and each individual has the ability and the right to master their full potential."

NZPGA "A" Class member
37 years teaching experience
Former Director of Education NZPGA
Former Lecturer Auckland University of Technology
Former Board Member NZPGA
Former Head Coach Golf Coaching NZ
Coaching and Personal Development specialist
Mind Game specialist
Motivational speaker

In the past twenty years the average mans golf handicap has failed to reduce.
This is despite some of the most dramatic technological advancements in equipment, teaching aids and techniques, courses and practice facilities.

Since man first swung a golf club at a ball, or maybe even before that, anybody with any knowledge of the game at all, no matter how limited, has been telling us what we need to improve our game.

While some of the information has been worthwhile, the majority has limited merit. The fact that so few golfers have reached anywhere near their goals is testament to this.

If all the advice we’ve received has failed to produce worthy results there is obviously something missing, and that something is often very basic.

Most golfers would rightfully believe that they are better than the results they are currently producing. They know they have more talent but they continually fail to access that talent no matter what they try.

THIS IS ANY GOLFER’S BIGGEST PROBLEM, ALWAYS HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE.

This is the first in a series of articles to help us discover what it actually is that prevents us from playing good golf. Until we discover this and work to eliminate these blockages, the chances of any significant progress are but an unachievable dream. Real growth can only occur when you have removed the restrictions preventing it. Any growth that occurs with restrictions still in place can only lead to malformation creating greater problems.

FIXING THE CAUSE, NOT THE EFFECT

A while ago my doctor told me I had a high cholesterol count and had better do something about it if I was hoping for longevity.

There were two possible options. Change the diet and add some reasonable exercise, or take pills for the rest of my life.

He recommended, and I chose, the first.

In this case the first was the only option to really eliminate the problem. The second was never going to fix the problem. It would keep it at bay, hopefully, as long as continued to take the pills, but it would always be hanging over me with the possibility of a nasty return.

The first option dealt with treating the cause, the second with treating the effect. If you only treat the effect there is little chance of any sustainable progress.

One of the main reasons we don’t play good golf is that we never deal with the real issues.

Most of the work is done during lessons or on the practice range is based on trying to correct the effect, and while there may be an improvement, it is not usually sustainable.

The reason for this is that you can’t fix the effect because the cause is always present and it’s not going anywhere. The best you can hope for is some temporary relief, but you will always be looking over your shoulder waiting for the problem to reappear. And sure enough it always does. This is why there is no real sustainable progress.

Where a big problem occurs is that even though we are working on the effect we believe we are correcting the cause.

A simple example of this may be: A golfer is slicing the ball badly, especially with their driver. They receive advice that the clubface is open and they must turn their right hand, or arm, over in order to square the clubface and straighten their shots. But try as they may there is no real lasting improvement.

Now nobody I know intentionally makes a bad swing, so why is it so difficult to correct for most golfers.

The reason is that while the open clubface is producing the slice, it is not the cause, only the effect.

The cause is probably that the grip is too tight, not allowing the arms and hands to rotate (which is a natural movement), and the harder one tries to force them to work the more tight they get and the less chance they have.

While this tightness is probably the cause, it may not be the driving force behind the cause. With tightness of grip comes less release of clubhead, reducing clubhead speed, thus reducing distance. So the golfer thinks they have to hit the ball harder to achieve this missing distance, and trying to hit harder nearly always means tightening.

Only once the golfer gains the correct knowledge and understanding, are they are able to implement a new plan, in this instance softening the grip, eliminating the initial cause, and with this the effect becomes a non issue.

Be certain that what you are looking to correct is the initial cause. If not you will end up adding to the problem, making a solution more difficult to find.